A prior art semi-trailer 20 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The semi-trailer 20 can be connected to a tractor 45 by conventional means, such as a fifth wheel assembly (not shown). The semi-trailer 20 includes a body 21 formed from a pair of rectangular sidewalls 22, a front wall 23, rear doors 24, a top panel or roof 25, and a bottom panel or floor 26. The floor 26 is supported by a conventional rear undercarriage assembly 27 and has a landing gear 28 secured thereunder. The roof 25 and an upper portion of the sidewalls 22 are secured to a top rail 29. The floor 26 and a lower portion of the sidewalls 22 are secured to a bottom rail 30.
Each sidewall 22 includes a plurality of vertical upstanding composite panels 31. Each composite panel 31 includes a core member 32 sandwiched between an inner skin 33 and an outer skin 34 and bonded thereto by a suitable known adhesive or other like means. Each composite panel 31 preferably has a thickness of approximately 0.295 inches.
The skins 33, 34 are preferably made of aluminum, galvanized, full hardened steel, such as AISI Grade E full hard steel because of its cost effectiveness, or the like. Preferably, the inner and outer skins 33, 34 are made of galvanized steel. Aluminum may be used, but it may be too soft for some purposes and strength and punch resistance are sacrificed, however, aluminum is lightweight.
Each core member 32 is made of some type of compressible non-metal material, preferably thermoplastic, such as polypropylene or high density polyethylene. These materials are relatively inexpensive as compared to aluminum found in prior semi-trailer wall constructions. In addition, because a composite panel 31 is used, the weight of the semi-trailer construction is reduced over semi-trailers having aluminum sidewalls.
Each composite panel 31 preferably has a width of forty-eight inches from a first side end thereof to an opposite side end thereof, but it is to be understood that the composite panels 31 can have a width which is longer or shorter. As shown, end portions 38, 39 of each composite panel 31 are coined or stepped to reduce the thickness of the composite panels 31 at their end portions 38, 39. The end portions 38, 39 are not always stepped or coined in the prior art. Each end portion 38, 39 of each composite panel 31 preferably is approximately 1.3 inches wide and has a thickness of approximately 0.215 inches such that the end portions 38, 39 are preferably coined or stepped by approximately 0.080 inches. Each composite panel 31 also has a height defined from a top end 46 thereof to a bottom end 47 thereof.
The composite panels 31 are joined together by a joint configuration 35, preferably of the type disclosed in any one of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,958,472, 5,860,693, 5,997,076, 6,220,651, 6,412,854, and 6,986,546, all of which are owned by the assignee of the present application, and which are each hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. Typically, the joint configuration 35 includes an interior post or logistics member 36 and an exterior post or splicing member 37.
The interior post 36 is an elongated member which is secured to the inner skins 33 of adjacent composite panels 31 at the end portions 38, 39 thereof. The interior post 36 joins the adjacent composite panels 31 together, as well as spaces the ends of the adjacent composite panels 31 apart from one another such that a gap or air pocket 40 exists between the adjacent composite panels 31. The interior post 36 is seated against the end portions 38, 39. The interior post 36 has a plurality of apertures or slots 41 extending therethrough which are in communication with the gap 40. The apertures 41 are provided such that equipment, such as clips, hooks, or any other appropriate item, may be engaged with the apertures 41. The interior post 36 preferably has a thickness of approximately 0.074 inches.
The exterior post 37 is an elongated member which is secured to the outer skins 34 of adjacent composite panels 31 at lire end portions 38, 39. The exterior post 37 joins the adjacent composite panels 31 together, spaces the ends of the adjacent composite panels 31 apart from one another, and seals the junction between the adjacent composite panels 31 on the exterior of the trailer 20 so as to seal the interior of the trailer 20 from moisture. As shown, the exterior post 37 has an intermediate bulging portion 42 which bulges outwardly from the outer skins 34. The bulging portion 42 is aligned with the gap 40 provided between the adjacent composite panels 31, and is provided to provide for more room in the gap 40 to allow for the engagement of equipment with or through the apertures 41 of the interior post 36. The exterior post 37 preferably has a thickness of approximately 0.050 inches.
The interior and exterior posts 36, 37 are fixedly secured to the adjacent composite panels 31 by suitable means, such as rivets 43 and/or by a suitable adhesive or bonding agent (not shown). The interior and exterior posts 36, 37 preferably extend along an entire height of the adjacent composite panels 31, generally from the roof 25 to the floor 26. The bottom rail 30 may have a portion 44 thereof which extends upwardly from the floor 26 for a predetermined distance in the interior of the trailer 20. The portion 44 is generally positioned to face or abut against the inner skins 33 of the composite panels 31 and, thus, also faces or abuts against the interior post 36. The portion 44, otherwise known as a baserail, is fixedly secured to a lower portion of the adjacent composite panels 31, as well as to the interior and exterior posts 36, 37 by suitable means, such as rivets 43 and/or by a suitable adhesive or bonding agent (not shown).
It should be noted that while a specific example of the joint configuration 35 has been described and illustrated, this joint configuration 35 is merely an example. The joint configuration 35 is thus intended to generally include any joint configuration which secures adjacent composite panels 31 together in any manner. The joint configuration 35 need not even provide logistics apertures therethrough for the engagement of equipment and need not space the ends of adjacent composite panels 31 apart from one another. The end portions 38, 39 also need not be stepped or coined.
As stated above, each composite panel 31 typically has a width of four feet (48 inches) such that a distance between the apertures 41 of adjacent interior posts 36 is slightly larger than four feet, typically approximately fifty inches. Customer demand, however, has required the provision of logistics apertures, such as apertures 41 of the interior posts 36, at distances which are shorter than those provided for between adjacent composite panels 31. For instance, some customers have required that logistics apertures be provided approximately every sixteen to seventeen inches along an interior of the trailer 20, while other customers have required that logistics apertures be provided approximately every twenty-four to twenty-five inches along an interior of the trailer 20.
As manufacturers of trailers 20 have not found it cost-feasible to manufacture and store varying widths of composite panels 31, e.g., those of sixteen, twenty-four and forty-eight inches in width, manufacturers have instead cut or sheared the forty-eight inch composite panels 31 at the appropriate widths and provided the joint configurations 35 to secure the two or three cut pieces of the forty-eight inch composite panels 31 together in order to provide the logistics apertures at the desired locations along the sidewall 22 within the interior of the trailer 20. Such a trailer 20 is partially illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.
This solution to the customer's requirements, however, has a number of drawbacks including, but not necessarily limited to, the following drawbacks. First, the trailer 20 with all of these extra joint configurations 35 will add to the weight of the trailer 20. Second, extra apertures must be provided through the portion 44 of the bottom rail 30 in order to allow for fastening members, such as the rivets 43, to extend therethrough and secure the portion 44 to the composite panels 31 and to the interior and exterior posts 36, 37, possibly weakening the structural integrity of the bottom rail 30. Third, it costs more money to manufacture such a trailer 20 as the manufacture invariably requires increased man hours, reduced throughput, increased cost, more scrap, and more material (e.g., the amount of rivets 43 used) per trailer 20. Fourth, the appearance of the trailer 20 is not necessarily appealing and fifth, the trailer 20 may have potential leak paths which would allow moisture to enter the interior of the trailer 20.
Thus, it is desirable to provide a method of manufacturing a sidewall 22 of the trailer 20 which overcomes or minimizes these drawbacks, but which will also allow the manufacturer of the trailer 20 to meet the customer's demands/requirements. The present invention provides for such a method and such a sidewall of a trailer.